Cheerleader Exchange
by Robert Teague
Summary: Part Two of Two After Draculaura spent a week at Middleton High School, now it's Kim Possible's turn to spend a week at Monster High.
1. Draculaura's Demesnes

Cheerleader Exchange

A Kim Possible/Monster High crossover by Robert Teague

This story was written for the entertainment of Monster High and Kim Possible fans, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story may be reproduced, provided no changes are made, and you let me know.

Author's Note: The constant barrage of monster-related jokes and puns in the MH webisodes are far beyond my writing skills, so I'm not even going to try. Be warned, though, I WILL slide in something once in a while, when the opportunity presents itself.

Exchange Program Part Two of Two

Chapter One Draculaura's Demesnes

The purple SL Roth containing teen heroine Kim Possible and Draculaura, a vampire who attended Monster High, passed the city limits sign of Salem, Oregon. Thanks to the car's ability to fly, the trip from Middleton Colorado had taken only a few hours.

Draculaura had spent a week in Middleton, staying with Kim and attending her high school as part of a fearleader exchange program. Now it was Kim's turn. Besides exchanging tips, tricks, and routines, the exchange was part of an effort to improve relations between monsters and normies. It had met a qualified success.

It was night, and raining off and on, but not heavily. Few other cars were on the road.

Draculaura put her iCoffin down in her lap, and looked over at Kim. "I've texted all my ghoulfriends, and they'll come by tomorrow to meet you."

"Sure, I'm looking forward to it," answered Kim, "That was the city limit sign."

"Okay, take a right at the third light," said the petite vampire, pointing ahead.

Kim did so, and found herself driving on a smooth, wide road between thick trees. There were few street lights, and it was very dark.

"We're going to pass Monster High in a minute. It'll be on the right," said the local girl.

Kim slowed down and tried to take a good look at the place she would be attending. A high fence closed it in, and the building reminded her of a castle. It was two stories tall, with a few towers, but the shadows made it difficult to see much else.

"Looks... interesting..." said Kim, "I'd bet it's fun to explore."

"Well, yes, but you still have to be careful. I'll show you the ropes Monday," was the reply.

"I see a light on in that tower, what's that?" asked Kim, pointing.

Her passenger took a look. "The school's radio station is there, but I don't know why a light would be on. Maybe C.A. forgot to turn it off."

"The school has a radio station? That's cool! Wish Middleton had one," said Kim.

"We have a communications course," said Draculaura.

"So, who's C.A.?" Kim asked.

"C.A. Cupid, daughter of the God of Love," was the answer. "She has a relationship advice show."

Kim gave her an odd look, then shook her head. "I guess there's no telling who goes to school here," she muttered. The Sloth pulled away and on into the near-dark.

Another turn or two and the car pulled into a paved driveway that circled in front of a huge mansion. The front porch light was on, as were a few lights showing through windows. The overall effect was positively creepy, but for some odd reason, Kim didn't feel any danger at hand.

Her vampire companion jumped out and ran up on the porch. Kim joined her a moment later. "Welcome to my home, Kim! Come on, I'll show you your room. Renfield will get the bags. Just leave the car unlocked."

Inside, Kim found a large room with old-fashioned but comfortable furniture. The light was dimmer than she was used to in houses, but she could see well enough. Doors on either side of the room were closed, and she caught a glimpse of a staircase past an arched way. Beyond it was darkness.

A man appeared out of the darkness and bowed. "Welcome home, Miss." He was dressed in a dark suit, and appeared to be a regular human. He had a British accent.

"Thank you, Renfield! This is Kim Possible, who will be staying with us this week," said Lala.

"Welcome to the House of Dracula, Miss Possible," he said, bowing slightly. "I've followed your exploits for some time now."

"Where's Daddy? I wanted him to meet her," said Lala, folding her parasol and putting it in a stand by the door.

"I'm afraid the Master has had to go to the Old Country on business, and doesn't expect to be back for two weeks, at least," was the answer.

"Oh, too bad," she said, and turned to her guest. "Kim, can I get you something to eat or drink?"

"I could use a cup of coffee," said the teen heroine, "The drive in the rain kinda wore me out."

"Okay, come on. Then I'll give you the short tour," said Draculaura, and led the way into the darkness past the stairs.

As the coffee pot perked, the vampire joined the normie at the kitchen table. "Renfield will get the bags and take yours to your room."

"Speaking of him, I thought you said you didn't know any normal humans," said Kim.

Lala blinked a couple of times, then giggled. "You know, he's been such a staple in my life, I'd forgotten. He IS a normie!"

"And works for your father."

"Yes, for many years now. Ah, the coffee's ready." Lala got up and got some large mugs from a shelf. "Hope you don't mind bat's milk."

Kim wasn't sure how to answer, but finally shrugged and said, "I'll try it."

mh/kp mh/kp mh/kp

After finishing her coffee, Draculaura took Kim on a tour. The house had two stories and an attic, but Kim had the distinct feeling there was more to it than she saw.

"That's Daddy's study," said the vampire girl, pointing to a closed door, "He prefers if nobody goes in without his permission."

"Not a problem," smiled Kim. Even though the reality was very different from the movies, she didn't think she really wanted Dracula to be mad at her.

Finally the odd duo went upstairs to find a long corridor and doors on either side. Framed portraits lined the walls between them.

"This is the bathroom," said Draculaura, opening the door. A quaint room met Kim's gaze, but not much different from other such facilities she had been in while in Europe.

Going to the next door on the same side, the vampire girl opened it. "This is my room. Come in, and see what you think!"

The walls were stark and bare, painted a dark green, but the furniture was, for the most part, pink. Kim looked around, and noticed there was a vanity with a mirror, which she found a bit odd.

"Nice," was her comment.

Draculaura went over and opened another door while flicking a light switch beside it. "This is my closet. Sixteen hundred years of outfits, and I've worn all of them."

Kim stepped up beside her and looked in. Clothes on hangers stretched into the dark. "Wow... Monique would be impressed."

The vampire giggled. "I'll have to invite her over for a weekend, so she can go through it and see the history of monster fashion."

"I'm sure she'd like that."

"Come on, your room is next to mine," said Lala, turning off the light and closing the door.

Kim's room was sparsely furnished, and had that 'un-lived-in' feel guest rooms tend to have. Her two suitcases sat in front of the closet door.

"Is my closet as big as yours?" Kim asked.

"Oh, no, mine was built special. Well, it's getting late, and I'm sure you're tired. Either I or Renfield will wake you for breakfast," said Lala.

"Okay, thanks," nodded Kim, sitting on the bed. It was a bit softer than she preferred, but the sheets felt like silk. The bed itself was a four-poster canopied model.

"Good night, then," Lala stopped and turned back just outside the door. "And Kim, don't worry. You're safe here, I promise."

The redhead looked up quickly, and started to protest she could take care of herself, but stopped. "Thank you," she said.

The door closed behind the vampire.

A few minutes later, Kim lay on her back in bed, the darkness close around her. Some light from a street light made the window glow a bit, but did nothing to illuminate the room.

She listened, but beyond some slight noise from Draculaura's room, all was quiet.

"So not the drama," she murmured to herself as she rolled over and closed her eyes.


	2. A Monstrous Meet and Greet

Chapter Two A Monstrous Meet and Greet

The next afternoon found Kim and Draculaura in the living room as her friends arrived.

"Kim Possible, I want you to meet my friends," said the petite vampire. "This is Cleo deNile and her boyfriend Deuce Gorgon."

"Hey! How ya doin'?" said Deuce, waving. Tall and handsome, he was wearing sunglasses, and had snakes on his head that hissed in Kim's direction.

Cleo said nothing, but stood and sized up the petite normie with a royal scowl. Finally she nodded. Kim took in the dark skinned girl partially wrapped as a mummy. She was very pretty, and knew it. Finally her face softened.

"Are you related to a Doctor Anne Possible?" she asked.

"My mom, why?" asked Kim.

"My mummy knows her," Cleo said, "She got the recipe for brain loaf from her."

Kim made a face, but hid it quickly. "Not a connection I knew about."

"Tell her thank you, it was good," said Cleo.

"I'll do that," nodded Kim.

"This is Frankie Stein," said Draculaura, putting a hand on the patchwork girl's shoulder.

"Hi, Kim! Can I call you Kim?" she said, holding out a hand.

"I'd prefer it, actually," was the answer as she returned the shake. Frankie was very friendly, as Lala had told her. Her mismatched eyes and green skin were... different... but fit her well. The bolts in her neck were a surprise.

"Goulia Yelps," said Lala, indicating a short girl standing with a loose posture, like she was about to fall apart. Kim noticed her eyes blinked one at a time. She had gray skin and white and blue hair.

"Hello," said Kim.

"Uuuhhhhhh..." was the reply.

"Sorry? I didn't catch that," said Kim.

"She said she's happy to meet you," said Frankie, "I guess you don't speak Zombie?"

Kim shook her head. THIS is a zombie?

"Ghoulia's the smartest person in the whole school," said Lala.

"Uhhh..." said Ghoulia, turning her head in embarrassment.

"Don't be modest, you know it's true," said Cleo. "I wouldn't have anything less attending me."

"Uuuuhhhhh..." was the reply.

"Anyway, this is Lagoona Blue," Lala pointed to a girl with blue scales and blond hair with blue streaks. She had wide pale green eyes.

"G'day, mate! Welcome to Monster High!" she said with a wave, then held out a hand. Kim noted her fingers were webbed.

"Thanks! I appreciate the warm welcome!" said Kim. "You're from Australia?"

"Yeh, the Great Barrier Reef, to be specific," was the answer.

"And finally this is my best friend Clawdeen Wolf, and her brother, my boyfriend, Clawd!" she said walking over and taking Clawd's hand. She barely came up to his jacket pocket.

"Hey, how are you?" Clawd asked, smiling at his girlfriend.

"Nice ta meetcha," said Clawdeen, "I've heard of you before. You stopped those robots just before one smashed our house. Never thought I'd get a chance to say thanks!"

"It was no big. Just had to take down a tower and disrupt the command signal," said Kim. She still felt bad about kicking Shego into it, since she had later learned the thief had been kept out of the loop of Drakken's plan.

"Anyway it worked. Hey, Frankie, is Jackson gonna be here?" asked the werewolf girl.

"He wasn't sure," the girl answered, "You know how shy he is."

"Unlike his alter ego," said Cleo.

"Well, sit down, everyone!" said Draculaura, "Renfield, bring in the refreshments!"

"We all want to thank you for protecting Draculaura while she was at your school," said Cleo.

"No big," replied Kim, "I'm just happy nothing really bad happened, and that it wasn't the student's fault."

"Yes, that is encouraging," answered the mummy-girl as Deuce put his arm around her, "There's an uneasy truce between normies and monsters here."

"Sorry to hear that. But that's why I'm here, right?" the redhead grinned.

"Yeah, this is a great start to changing the bad feelings!" put in Frankie.

The manservant brought out two trays, one painted black and the other green. Both were filled with small cakes. Soft drinks sat in a cooler nearby.

As the afternoon wore on, everyone relaxed. Kim took note of the relationships going on around her. Ghoulia waited on Cleo hand and foot, and nobody seemed to notice. It was understandable- she had found out Cleo was ancient Egyptian royalty. Deuce was nice, but his snakes hissed at her if she came near him, and Cleo glared. Lagoona kept a bottle of water with her, and at one point Kim noticed it was bottled SEA WATER. She'd never seen that before. She noticed Clawdeen sniffing in her direction, and finally asked her why.

"You can tell a lot about someone by the scents they carry," the brown-furred girl explained, "I smell a male on you. Your boyfriend?"

"Yes, Ron Stoppable, my partner and boyfriend," she replied. She didn't notice behind her that Cleo relaxed at that.

Clawdeen nodded. "An animal of some kind too, overlaid with cheese."

"Ron's pet naked mole rat, Rufus," Kim confirmed. "You're really good at that."

"The nose knows, ghoulfriend," grinned Clawdeen.

Kim reached over and picked up a cake. She started to take a bite when Clawdeen's paw lashed out and slapped it out of her hand. The heroine's training took over and she jumped up into a defensive stand. "What was that for?" she asked.

The other conversations stopped and everyone was looking.

"You were about to take a bite of cake from the wrong tray," Clawdeen explained, sitting back and holding up her paws in a submissive manner. "I didn't have time to warn you."

"Oh, my Ra!" said Cleo, "That's right! Don't you know the difference? You could have died!"

Kim stood up from her position. "No. What are you talking about?"

Draculaura came over, gray eyes wide. "Kim, I should have explained. Food in a black container can be dangerous to living creatures. You should only eat from a green one. RENFIELD!"

"yes, Miss?" he asked coming into the room.

"Get the other tray! We almost had an accident!" said the vampire.

He nodded and left, coming back a minute later with another green tray with more cakes on it, which he sat beside the other and picked up the black one.

Kim stopped him with a gesture and hit the connect button on the wrist Kimmunicator. "Wade?"

The boy's visage appeared in the small screen. "What's up, Kim?"

"Do me a favor and scan these trays, please and thank you," she said.

A green beam of light swept over the trays and vanished.

"Well... Kim, the two on the table are fine. You didn't eat anything from the one he's holding, did you?"

"No, but I almost did," she answered, "What's wrong with it?"

"Depending on which cake you ate, you would be either very sick, or dead within two minutes," he answered.

"WHAT?"

"It's my fault, Wade, I should have warned her," Draculaura spoke up, "Undead monsters sometimes like to eat things that are dangerous to living monsters, which is why the trays are color-coded. Black for undead, green for living."

"We're so used to it, it never occurred to us you might not know that!" said Frankie.

"I'm so sorry, Kim! I take full responsibility for it!" said Lala, voice quivering and eyes moist.

"It's- it's okay, D. No harm done. But let me know of other differences like that, please and thank you!" answered the redhead. "And thank you, Clawdeen."

"No problem, ghoulfriend," the werewolf nodded. She relaxed as well, now that she knew Kim wasn't going to attack her.

Renfield took the tray out of the room.

A few minutes later the party had returned to normal. Ghoulia shambled over to Kim and sat beside her. "Uhhhh..." she said.

"Sorry?" asked Kim.

"Uuuuhhhhhh..." was the response.

Kim looked unhappy. "I'm really sorry, Ghoulia, but I just don't understand anything you say."

The zombie girl nodded, then reached into a pocket and pulled out a small device like an MP3 player.

"Uuuhhhhaaaa," she said, and from the machine a voice came out: "It's okay, Kim, that's why I carry this translator."

"Oh, that's neat! Where'd you get it?" she asked, looking closely. There was a speaker, an on/off switch, volume control, and a sliding switch marked "record" and "play".

"I built and programmed it," she answered.

"Wow, good work!" said the heroine, then she got an idea. "Would you mind if I copied the software into my Kimmunicator? Then we could still talk, even if you don't have it with you."

"Uhhh..." said the girl, and "Sure! That's a good idea!" came from the speaker.

Kim pulled a USB cord from a pocket, and connected the devices. She tapped buttons on the watch, and after a minute handed the translator back. "Let's try it."

"Ahhhuhhh..." said Goulia, and "I hope it works." came from the Kimmunicator.

"Guess it did," smiled Kim, "Thanks!"

"Thank you for the consideration," Ghoulia replied.

Just then the doorbell rang, and Draculaura ran over to open it.

"Apologize for being late," said a tall, pale blue girl in white furs. White flakes were falling around her, from no apparent source. Everyone called a hello.

"That's okay, come on in! The party's in full swing!" Lala stepped to the side. "Kim, come here a minute, please!"

"Abbey Bomnable, meet Kim Possible!" said their hostess.

"Is nice meeting you," nodded Abbey.

"You too," said Kim, "Is that snow?"

"Yes," answered Abbey, "Am yeti, from village in Himalayas."

"I see. I've been there, but never met any of your kind," said Kim.

"Obviously did not visit right mountain," said the girl, and moved to get herself a drink.

Kim and Lala stood side by side. "She seems a bit... cold."

Draculaura giggled. "Yes, most ghouls get that impression. But once you get to know her, you will know differently."

There was a sound from multiple iCoffins in the room, and everyone pulled theirs out. Kim looked over Lala's shoulder.

"Oh, it's an update from the Ghostly Gossip!" said Cleo, "NORMIE VISITOR IS FEAR LEADER!" she read, and there was a picture of Clawdeen slapping Kim's hand, with Kim's startled expression clearly visible.

Everyone looked around the room. "SPECTRA!" they called in unison.

A pale, translucent girl with violet hair flew up through the floor. "What's wrong? Didn't I get a good picture?"

Kim stared with wide eyes. A ghost? A real ghost?

"The picture was fine. It's the headline we have trouble with," said Clawdeen, pointing a finger in the girl's chest.

"I did it again, didn't I? Sorry," she looked ashamed.

"Don't apologize to me, tell Kim," Clawdeen stepped back, folding her arms.

Spectra drifted over to Kim and floated in front of her, bobbing gently. "I'm sorry, I came in just as that happened. Then I made up a headline to go with it." Her voice was soft, and had a 'far away' quality.

"Well, you'd better post a retraction," said Lala, "We don't want monsters thinking Kim is afraid to go to school here."

"Oh, I didn't think about that, I'll change it immediately," said Spectra. She flew up and out through the ceiling.

Lala looked at Kim, who was staring at the spot Spectra had passed through. "Kim? What is it?"

"I was just thinking..." she looked at the vampire, "You have a very diverse group of friends."

As the party broke up that evening, the normie heroine was confronted with all the monsters.

"Kim," said Cleo, "Since you've never met a monster before, and will be going to a school full of them, we all want you to know that we'll be there for you if you need us."

"Well, thank you all!" said Kim, "But I'm not sure I'll need..."

"Kim, we're monsters. We have... abilities... you normies don't," said Deuce, "You might need us."

Kim nodded. "You're right. Thank you all."

And with that, the party ended.


	3. Moanday, Moanday

Chapter Three Moanday, Moanday

Kim drove the Sloth through the open gates of Monster High, and parked in the student lot. She and Draculaura got out and headed inside, so Kim could get her books and schedule. A number of monsters who were loitering outside stared.

"Welcome to Monster High, Kim Possible!" said Headless Headmistress Bloodgood. She was standing beside her desk, while her head rested on it. Her blue horse, Nightmare, stared at Kim with round, red eyes and neighed.

Kim hardly blinked at the sight. She was getting used to the strange things around her already, and had decided to act like everything was normal. If she could.

"Thank you, Ma'am," she replied, "I'll do my best while here."

"I'm sure you will. I've read the report of Draculaura's trip, and want to thank you for protecting her," said the elegant woman.

"No big. I believe in this program, and want it to work," was the reply.

"Very good. Your books, schedule, and map are in the locker you've been assigned. Draculaura will help you find it. If you need anything, don't hesitate to find me," said Ms. Bloodgood, handing Kim a piece of paper with the locker number on it.

"Thank you, ma'am," said Kim.

Outside the office they were joined by Frankie and Clawdeen, and together they found Kim's locker. It wasn't anywhere near D-la or her friend's lockers. It was shaped like a coffin, and the lock like a skull.

"Well, at least it's consistent with the rest of the decor..." Kim thought.

Frankie took Kim's class schedule and texted it to their gang. "That way we know who shares a class with you," she explained.

Kim pursed her lips and wrinkled her brow. "Is this part of you trying to protect me?"

"Well... yes," said Frankie, "We know you can take care of yourself, but you saved Draculaura's unlife, and we want to do everything we can for you. You don't know anything about Monster High, and there are things here even you would have trouble with."

"But..."

"Just accept it, ghoulfriend," said Clawdeen. "It's gonna happen anyway."

Kim smiled. "All right, you win. Which way to... uh... Home... Ick?"

KP/MH KP/MH KP/MH

Kim was intrigued with the variety of monsters attending the school, as well as the teachers. Beyond some stares and a few monsters coming over to meet her, the morning passed uneventfully. At least, as uneventfully as it gets in Monster High.

As they walked between classes, Kim and Ghoulia saw a regular sight- a short student with blue skin wearing a white shirt opening his locker and being grabbed and pulled in by a tentacle. The door slammed behind him.

Kim got immediately set to help, but was stopped by the zombie putting a hand on her arm. "Uhhhh..." she said, and from the Kimmunicator came, "Don't worry about it, it happens nearly every day. You'd think he would have learned by now."

Kim looked at her. "So... he doesn't need help?"

Just then the locker door opened, and the student was expelled, falling ungracefully to the floor. He was covered with slime, and his clothes were disheveled, but was otherwise fine.

"Nope," Ghoulia smiled.

"Ghoulia, there you are!" said Cleo, coming up to them as students parted for her like the Red Sea. "What are you doing here?"

"Showing Kim to her next class," answered the zombie-girl.

"I see... well, I suppose... just this once... I can get my OWN books from my locker," she said imperiously, and turned and walked away.

"Why do you let her treat you like that?" asked Kim as they resumed their walk.

"It's complicated," was the answer, "I may be the 'smartest ghoul in school', but I'm still a zombie. I'm obedient by nature, and Cleo is a force of nature."

Kim laughed. "I noticed that."

"I need direction and duties. Otherwise I'd be like most of the other zombies here," said Ghoulia, waving at Slow Moe as he passed by going the other way. "Cleo gives me that. She's not really as bad as she seems at first. She had an eye-opener some time ago, and treats me much better than she used to."

"Well..." said Kim.

"She's my best friend, Kim. It's okay. We like our relationship the way it is," said Ghoulia.

"Oh, I wasn't going to interfere, don't worry. I was just curious," Kim assured her.

KP/MH KP/MH KP/MH

Lunch presented Kim with a problem. She didn't recognize anything in the trays, either the green ones or the black. She was holding up the line, and monsters behind her were starting to grumble about the normie taking too long.

Clawdeen came up to her. "What's the problem?" she asked.

Kim gestured at the counter. "I have no idea what any of this is."

"Oh, I get it..." she turned and scanned the room. "Hey, Jackson, c'mere and help your fellow normie!"

The boy with glasses and black hair (with a blond fringe) got up from beside his girlfriend Frankie and came over to them.

"Kim Possible, this is Jackson Jekyll," said Clawdeen, "He's the closest thing to a normie we've got, so he can help you find something."

"H- hi," said the shy boy, blushing, "It's really great to meet you."

"WILL YOU HURRY UP?" said a tall plant-monster girl who was next in line, "WE'RE HUNGRY!"

Taking the hint, Jackson got Kim a selection he thought she could live with, then went back to the table.

Kim paid for her lunch, and went to join her friends. Two very large monsters, one of whom had the head of a bull and a red t-shirt with a maze on it, steered in her direction. They tried to elbow Kim as she passed between them, but she ducked and slipped between, paying attention only to her goal. She hadn't even noticed the attempt.

The two turned and stared open-mouthed at the normie as she sat down and greeted the others. Said others had watched the attempt, and were impressed. This Kim Possible did seem to be 'all that'.

Trying each dish, she found them gross-looking but palatable and filling.

"How is it, love?" asked Lagoona. She and her boyfriend Gil were sharing a plate of kelp.

"Pretty good, actually," said Kim, "Better than the mystery meat we get served at home."

"You get mystery meat?" everyone exclaimed at once, except Draculaura, who looked a bit queasy.

"Aw, man, I LOVE mystery meat!" said Clawdeen.

"Better you than me," said Kim.

"Next time they have it, you should get what isn't used and ship it to us," said Cleo. "We'd love a treat like that."

"I think they recycle it to us the next week," was the answer.

"Even better," said Clawd, and it was Kim's turn to look a bit queasy.

KP/MH KP/MH KP/MH

After lunch Kim had Mr. Rotter for the second time; Monster Hiss-tory in the morning, Dead Languages in the afternoon.

"Miss Possible," he said in his thick accent, "Since you're only here for a week, I won't expect much class participation from you. Do you know any dead languages?"

"I know some Latin," she answered, looking up at the tall man with the wide eyes and blue-gray skin. His glasses were on top of his head.

"Latin, pfft," he scoffed, "The body is still warm."

The redhead paid more attention in Mad Science, since several of her villains specialized in it. Mr. Hack took great delight in shoving the lesson down the student's collective throats. He also called on her frequently, and she was able to answer his questions, having experience with many of the things mentioned or demonstrated.

After class he called her over.

"Oi, Possible," he said, "I gotta admit, you know your mad science!"

"Thank you, sir!" Kim beamed. She wasn't sure she had done very well.

"Next time you see your Professor Dementor, tell him 'hi', from Old Hack."

'You know him?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah, we went to uni together," he answered.

"I'll be sure to do that. What about Dr. Drakken?"

The teacher waved that off. "That phony? He doesn't even have a degree in Mad Science. If he really wants to take over the world, he needs to get an education first."

Kim cracked up, and promised to pass that message along as well.

KP/MH KP/MH KP/MH

Classes ended and the Fearleading Squad met in the gym and dressed out for practice. They did some warm-ups, then turned attention to their guest.

"All right, Kimberly, show us what you've got. Maybe some of it will be worthy of Monster High's fearleaders," said Cleo. She stood with folded arms, and the others standing beside her.

They arranged some of the gym equipment to Kim's liking, and she did indeed show them what she had. Everyone watching stood with mouth open except Draculaura, who had a knowing smile.

"See? What did I tell you?" asked the petite vampire.

"You certainly weren't exaggerating, that's for sure," said Frankie. "Wow, Kim, that was great!"

"No big. I did that routine five years ago, when I first joined the cheer squad in middle school," she answered.

Since the fearleader's routines were designed for three or four, someone would step aside and let Kim have their place in each one. The normie girl picked them up quickly, impressing the others even more.

She made several suggestions, always deferring to Cleo's judgment. To her credit, the mummy-girl was fair and did agree with quite a few of them.

As they headed for the door later, Cleo walked beside Kim. "I see we can learn from you. I'm actually impressed."

"No big, Cleo, I like to help," said Kim.

"Ra knows these weak links could use it," said the mummy-girl.

"CLEO!" yelled everyone else.


	4. Pranks and Plans

Chapter Four Pranks and Plans

The next morning, Kim walked down a corridor, map in hand. She thought she had memorized the route to her locker, but it was proving elusive.

A few other students were walking, or shuffling, or gliding by on their own business, and no one bothered her. Until a loud, brash voice behind her called out.

"Hey, normie!"

She turned, and there was the bull-headed guy from lunch yesterday, glaring at her. He stomped up and leaned over her. Kim, used to fighting henchmen who were just as big, if not bigger, stood her ground. He was wearing the red t-shirt and black pants. If she remembered right, Draculaura had told her his name was Manny Taur.

"Can I help you?" she asked pleasantly, looking up at him.

"You're supposed to be some chick who saves the world, right? Well, I gotta say I ain't impressed," he said in a loud voice.

"Too bad," said Kim, shrugging. She had met his type before, a bully (literally, in this case) always spoiling for a fight with those smaller and weaker than him. "I'm not here to impress you."

"You normies make me sick," he said, "Always acting like you're better than us monsters. Well, you ain't!"

"And just when did I do that?" she asked, folding her arms.

"You're here, aren't you? A normie in a school for monsters?" he bellowed.

"Whatever happened to the Monster High ideals of tolerance and acceptance?" asked Kim, cocking her head at the big guy. Maybe she could still head off a fight. It was the last thing she wanted, after all.

That startled him for a moment, then he leaned down and snorted. "Do you know how much I hate red?" he snarled in her face.

"And here we go..." thought Kim. "Then why are you wearing that shirt?"

Other students had stopped to watch, but no one interfered.

"Why you... normie!" he drew back a fist the size of a ham, and Kim got set to defend herself.

Just at that moment everyone's attention was taken by a female voice calling "HEEEEELLLLP!" Kim and Manny stood up to see what was going on.

A copper-colored girl (a robot? thought Kim) wearing a blue and black dress, with hair the same color, was on roller skates, weaving from side to side along the corridor, obviously out of control. Her arms were waving, trying to keep her balance, and her legs flailing around. She slammed into a couple of lockers, but somehow kept her feet under her.

"Robecca, fold your skates up!" called Manny, his fight with Kim forgotten.

"I can't, they're stuuuckk!" was the reply, as the girl sailed by.

Kim reached into the side pocket of her cargo pants and pulled out her grappling gun. She fired just to the side of the girl, and the claw flew in that direction.

"When it wraps around her, grab the wire and pull," she told Manny.

"Right!"

As usual, Kim's aim was perfect. The claw sailed by her, then with a twitch of the gun, twisted and coiled around her. She continued to fly down the corridor, directly toward two monsters, who cringed and waited for the impact.

"Now!" Kim and Manny grabbed the wire and gave it a hard yank. The robot girl's feet jerked from under her, and she sat down hard, making a "KLANK!" as she landed. She slid a bit, and came to rest just shy of the two in front of her.

Everybody ran toward her, and the two she had almost slammed into did as well. They knelt beside the robot girl as she tried to get untangled from Kim's grapple line.

"'Becca, are you okay?" asked a gray-skinned girl with pink hair and wings. She had a French accent.

"Are you dented?" asked the other, who had red and green hair and was wound with flower vines.

"I'm fine, thanks to..." she looked up at the other end of the wire to find Kim holding the gun. "Oh, you're the normie I heard about, aren't you?" She had a British accent.

"She's definitely not related to the BeBes," she thought. "That's me. I'm Kim Possible. What happened?" Kim asked.

"I don't know; my skates got stuck open," said Robecca. She pulled a leg up so she could inspect the bottom of her shoe. There were inline wheels along the sole. She pressed sideways against them, but they made only a slight movement and a grinding sound. "Something got in the mechanism."

Kim tapped the connect button on her Kimmunicator. "Wade?"

"Yeah, Kim?" the pudgy boy asked.

"Scan these skates and tell me what's jamming them, please and thank you," she said.

"Sure. What happened?" he asked as they all heard the sound of keys clicking.

Kim told him, and a brief sweep of the green beam gave the answer. "They're jammed with sand."

"SAND?" asked Robecca, "I don't know how that's possible... I haven't been through any that I know of."

"Not just sand, a particular kind of sand... cat litter," Wade added.

I can do something about it, hang on a sec," said the second girl. She looked at Kim. "Thank you for saving all of us."

The redheaded heroine nodded and smiled. "No big. Just glad I was in position to help."

"I'm Venus McFlytrap, and these are my best friends, Rochelle Goyle," she gestured at the gray-skinned girl, "And Robecca Steam." indicating the copper girl.

"Nice to meet you," said Kim. She hit the retract button on the grapple gun, and the wire was pulled back in, ready for use. She put the gun back in the pocket.

As Venus used her vines to pull the sand out of the skates, Manny got Kim's attention.

"I gotta apologize," he said, "I had you pegged all wrong." He stuck out a hand.

"Accepted," said Kim, taking it.

The big monster moved off, and Kim turned back to Robecca.

"You know, if it's that dangerous to your, uh, mechanisms, maybe we'd better find out where it came from," she said. "Don't want it happening again."

Nobody noticed that a particular black-and-orange werecat who had been lounging across the top of several lockers watching the mayhem casually got up and left. "That was fun, but it's time for this cat to scat," she thought.

As she sauntered down the hall, she suddenly realized she had a problem. "Me, Meowlody, and Purrsephone are the only cats in the school. If she traces that litter, it will lead straight to us. And Bloodgood said we would all be suspended the next time we were caught pulling a prank." She took off to find the twins.

KP/MH KP/MH KP/MH

Thanks to Spectra having seen the whole thing and taken pictures, the Ghostly Gossip's blog had everyone in Monster High aware of what happened. Kim's popularity soared, and she was greeted warmly everywhere she went.

During a break at fearleading practice that evening, they sat on the bleachers to rest. Suddenly Spectra flew up through the seating and hovered beside Kim, only halfway out.

"We haven't formally met," said the ghost, "I'm Spectra Vondergeist."

"Kim Possible," said the redhead. She couldn't help but stare a bit, and Spectra noticed.

"Not used to ghosts?" she asked with a smile.

"Never met one before," was the answer, "I didn't know they actually existed."

The blue-glowing girl giggled. "Yeah, it's fun keeping the normies guessing. Can I get an interview with you?"

"Well..."

The ghost pouted. "Look, I'm sorry I messed up at D's party. I'll get it all right this time. Please?"

"Okay, then," said Kim.

"See that you do," interjected Clawdeen, giving the ghost a glare.

"I do have to say you got some good pictures of me helping Robecca this morning," said Kim. "I signed up with your blog after I saw them."

That made Spectra smile. "Thanks. That was the most exciting thing to happen in a while. Speaking of that, have you found out where the sand came from?"

"No, I didn't have time today, but I'm going to do some looking tomorrow," Kim answered.

Nobody knew Toralei and her buds had been hiding in the gym, listening. Having heard what she needed to, she motioned at the door, and the trio, as quiet as cats can be, slipped out.

Spectra pulled her laptop from nowhere and put it on the seat. She started typing. "Let's see..." she scanned the questions she planned to ask.

"Now that you've had a couple of days here, what do you think of Monster High?" she said.

Kim wiped her face, glanced at the fear squad and grinned. "Well, most of the monsters I've met are great people! This place takes some getting used to; the halls are confusing, and the decorations are like nothing I've ever seen before."

"Yeah," agreed Draculaura, "Her school is completely opposite; bright, sunny, and cheerful. It took me some time to get used to it."

"Doesn't anybody want to know what *I* think?" asked Cleo, loudly. She was sitting with her back to them, arms crossed and back stiff.

"Not particularly," answered Clawdeen.

"Well, then, in that case finish your interview later; break time's over," said the mummy-girl, and stood up. "Let's go,  
troops."

Everyone rolled their eyes but complied. Kim gave Spectra an apologetic look, and headed back to the floor.

Outside, Toralei, Meowlody, and Purrsephone were discussing the situation they found themselves in.

"We cleaned up the litter, but might have missed some," said Toralei, "If we did it will lead straight back to us. We've got to stop her investigating until we sweep again. Any ideas?"

The other two looked at each other and shrugged.

"Hmm..." she thought for a minute, then her face lit up with an evil grin. "I know what to do now! Let's go!" And the trio disappeared into the darkened halls of Monster High.


	5. O Kimberly, Where Art Thou?

Chapter Five O Kimberly, Where Art Thou?

The next morning found Kim at her locker, which she had located without trouble. Monsters passing by spoke to her, and she answered with a friendly smile. Finally she got a moment's peace to open the locker. As she got her Home Ick book, she glanced at the upper shelf and noticed it was different. Something was there now that wasn't there yesterday.

Frankie and Draculaura were coming to join Kim and walk with her to class. They caught sight of her just as she opened the door. They saw her reach in a take out something; a small golden statue of Ra with an emerald in his hands.

"D, what's that Kim's holding?" asked Frankie, "It looks like something of Cleo's."

The petite vampire narrowed her gray eyes. "I think it is! What is it doing in Kim's locker?"

"I dunno... what does it do?" asked the green-skinned girl.

"I couldn't say, but-" they saw Kim's puzzled expression, then she reached up and touched the jewel.

"KIM!" shouted Frankie, "BE CAREFUL!"

There was a BZZZT! and the normie girl vanished, statue and all.

The two friends ran up to the left-open locker and looked around. There was no sign of Kim.

"Well, now we know," said Frankie. "Any idea where she went?"

"None at all!" Draculaura whipped out her iCoffin. "I'll text Cleo."

"And I'll text Ms. Bloodgood," said Frankie.

Ten minutes later, everyone was assembled at the locker that was missing a user.

"No ma'am," said Cleo, "I have no idea how it got in there. It was in my locker yesterday, and I had just noticed it was gone when I got the text to come here."

"Can it move on its own?" Ms. Bloodgood asked, taking off her head and putting it in the locker to look around.

"No ma'am, not to my knowledge," was the answer.

"How does it work?" asked Clawdeen.

"You hold it up, think of where you want to be, then touch the jewel," answered Cleo.

"We saw her do that," commented Frankie, "But she didn't know what it was; I could tell by her expression. What would happen if you didn't have a destination?"

Cleo thought a moment, then shrugged. "You'd go to a random place, I guess."

"Is there some way to trace it?" asked Bloodgood, reattaching her head.

"No, Ma'am," said Cleo with a frown.

The Headless Headmistress sighed. "Thank you, Cleo. I believe you, and you're not in trouble." Unlike her sister Nefera, Cleo had gone through a change of heart and become a better monster. That was a fact Bloodgood knew well, as it had saved her a lot of grief.

Cleo gave her own sigh, this one of relief.

"Do you have any ideas, Ghoulia?" asked Draculaura.

The zombie-girl shook her head. "Uuuhhhhh..."

"We know you're a monster of science," said Cleo, "But maybe you should study magic as well."

Ghoulia gave a snort of disdain and crossed her arms.

"I'm going to go make an announcement," said Ms. Bloodgood, "Don't worry, ghouls, we'll figure this out."

"Thank you, ma'am," said Draculaura.

A minute later the loudspeakers woke up. "ATTENTION, STUDENTS OF MONSTER HIGH! DUE TO AN UNFORTUNATE ACCIDENT, OUR NORMIE GUEST FEARLEADER, KIM POSSIBLE, HAS VANISHED. EVERYONE LOOK AROUND WHERE YOU ARE AND SEE IF YOU CAN FIND HER. IF YOU DO, SEND HER TO MY OFFICE, OR IF SHE CAN'T MOVE FOR SOME REASON, LET ME KNOW. THAT IS ALL."

Draculaura was on the verge of crying, and Clawdeen put an arm around her best friend. "Don't worry, she'll be okay. She's probably on her way to Ms. Bloodgood's office right now." They were walking toward the classroom.

"I hope so," the unhappy vampire muttered.

"If only we had been a little quicker," said Frankie.

"Don't blame yourself, Frankie," said Cleo, "Let ME do it."

Everyone stopped and looked at the beautiful mummy-girl, who smiled. "Just kidding! It's the fault of whoever put it in her locker."

"There's an idea!" said Frankie, neck bolts sparking, "Clawdeen, could you sniff around the locker and see if there's a scent other than Kim's?"

"I can sure try!" said the Werewolf. She turned and headed back to Kim's locker.

But when they got there, they found the school's Cursed-todian there, cleaning up.

"What happened?" asked Draculaura.

"Somebody dropped a rotten gargoyle egg here," he replied, as he wiped up the last of it and moved off, anxious to get rid of the foul-smelling remains.

Clawdeen tried to find a scent, but shook her head. "The egg stench and cleaner is covering up anything else."

"What rotten luck!" said Draculaura, and everyone winced.

'Uuuhhhh..." moaned Ghoulia with a shrug.

"Yes, it was a good idea," said Cleo, "I wish it had panned out. I need to get that statue back."

"We need to get to class," said Frankie, "We'll meet up and check with Ms. Bloodgood every hour."

The group moved off, paying no attention to Toralei at her locker, who smirked to herself.

As they were about to separate and go their own ways, Draculaura stopped and snapped her fingers. "I know what to do!" She pulled out her iCoffin and hit a speed dial button.

"Hello?" came a young male voice.

"Wade?" said the vampire, and everyone looked over her shoulder.

"Draculaura? Is something wrong? Where's Kim?" he asked.

"That's the problem. We don't know," she replied, and proceeded to tell him what had happened.

"Oookayyy..." he said, "A statue that lets people transport themselves. That's a weird artifact to have."

"I BEG YOUR PARDON!" interjected Cleo, glaring at the small screen. "I'll have you know it's been in my family since..."

"Cleo, be indignant later," Clawdeen interrupted, "We have more important things to do."

"I was hoping you would have some way to track her," said the vampire.

"Yes, I can home in on her Kimmunicator," he replied, and his pudgy fingers flew over the keyboard in front of him. He looked at an off-camera monitor. "Hm. Nothing. It's not showing up."

"Oh, no," said Frankie.

"I'm not giving up yet," he told them, "Let me try some things and get back to you."

"Thank you, Wade, we'll be waiting to hear," nodded Draculaura.

KP/MH KP/MH KP/MH

At the end of the period, Ms. Bloodgood called a halt to classes and held an emergency assembly in the Vampitheater. Before it started, the gang went to the Headless Headmistress, who was on stage.

"I called her tech guy, Wade," said Draculaura, "He said he was going to do what he can and get back to me."

"I see. I was hoping to keep this an internal matter, but it couldn't be helped. You did the right thing," she replied.

Just then D's phone rang. "Any luck?" she asked as soon as he appeared on the screen.

"Not yet," he told her, "But I'm not completely out of options. Give me a bit longer."

A hand reached out and took the vampire's phone.

"Wade, I'm Ms. Bloodgood, the Headmistress. I want you to know I'm sorry this happened, and we will do everything we can to find her and get her back safely."

"Thank you, Ma'am," he nodded, "Maybe you would be the one to ask. I can have Ron and Rufus come and help look."

"No, don't do that, at least not yet," she replied, "We don't need a second norm- human to worry about right now."

"All right, you know better than me," he said, "But I will send him if we don't find her pretty quick." He signed off.

"Take your seats, please," she told them, and went out onto the stage.

"Everyone, we have to find her," she said, "A normie disappearing in Monster High will look very bad to everyone. And when you consider how famous Kim Possible is, it could have repercussions for monsters all over the world."

She had worked up a list and sent teachers and students out to check every nook and cranny in the school and outside it.

The friends filed out together, and with a mischievous smirk Frankie stepped beside her zombie friend.

"Hey, Ghoulia," she said, nudging the shorter girl, "Let's go get struck by lightning and get your super-speed back. Then it would take no time to find her."

Everyone stopped and stared at the green-skinned girl.

"Uhh uhh!" said Ghoulia, holding up her hands in a 'stop' gesture and shaking her head forcefully. She moved a pace away from Frankie.

"Don't even joke about that!" said Draculaura.

"Yeah, gillfriend, we almost lost you!" said Lagoona.

"It was too close," said Clawdeen, "I never want that to happen again."

"Really! Frankie, what WERE you thinking?" asked Cleo.

"It was just a joke..." said the patchwork girl.

Abbey shook her head, making snow fall faster. "Was poor effort. You too important to us."

"Really?" asked Frankie, surprised.

"Absolutely," confirmed the yeti, "Now think no more of it, and let us go find normie."

There was some grumbling from other students about wasting time looking for a normie, but they were thorough. Hours later they re-assembled and reported no luck at all.

"All right, thank you very much. I'm canceling classes for the rest of the day," the tall, elegant woman said.

There was cheering and the room cleared out in record time, except for Frankie, Draculaura, Cleo, Clawdeen, Ghoulia, and Spectra. Clawd would have stayed, but had to take Howleen to an appointment with the vet. Deuce's mom had called and ordered him home without explanation, and Lagoona needed some time in the water.

The remaining ghouls joined their headmistress on the stage. Just then Draculaura's phone rang.

"Good news, I hope?" she asked.

"Actually, yeah, kinda sorta," he replied. "I used a signal relay in Kim's car to boost reception, and I think I found her."

Everyone reacted with smiles and relief.

"So where is she?" asked Frankie.

"She is apparently somewhere UNDER the school," he said, "About two hundred feet down."

Everyone exchanged a look. "The Catacombs!"


	6. Cave Catacombs

Chapter Six Cave Catacombs

With a loud electrical noise that echoed though the cavern, Kim Possible appeared. The sudden change of location was disorienting, and she put a hand on the rock wall behind her to steady herself. Finally getting the dizziness under control, she looked around. She knew she had never been here before.

The cavern was some hundred feet across, and the ceiling lost in the gloom. Pale green light gave some illumination, but try as she might, the normie heroine could not find the source.

The statue was still in her hand, and she looked at it. This must be what brought her here, she realized. After her experiences with amulets and statues and other strange objects, that was pretty obvious. She had a sudden brief vision of a headless clay monkey that felt familiar, but she had no real memory of it.

She put the statue down and moved a bit away from it. No sense in taking a chance activating it again.

She keyed the Kimmunicator. "Wade?" No answer, just static.

"Wade, can you hear me?" she called, but no reply. She switched to the GPS mode, but got no signal.

"Okay, on my own," she muttered. She slipped off her backpack and a few minutes later had changed into her mission clothes. She put the statue in the backpack, wrapped in her blouse. She was now wearing a purple short-sleeved shirt, black pants and boots, and her dark gray gloves. Her utility belt was slung around her waist.

Flipping on a small but powerful flashlight, she looked around and found a trail. Using her lipstick laser she carved an X in the floor where she had appeared, and headed down the trail. She carved a mark in the wall at regular intervals as she went.

"No idea where I am, but hopefully someone saw me disappear and will tell Ms. Bloodgood," she thought, "I wonder who put that statue in my locker. It looks Egyptian, so the obvious suspect is Cleo. But I don't think it's something she would do. So the question remains; who here would have a grudge against me?"

A moment's thought and she realized the answer was, 'A lot of the student body'. She WAS a normie, after all. Nobody had been overtly hostile except Manny, and they got that straightened out. It wasn't his style, anyway. He obviously preferred a head-on confrontation. So who else?

The tunnel ahead split in two, taking her thoughts away from that problem. Both were equally dark, both had the same slightly gorchy smell, and there was a rumbling in the background.

She took the left-hand opening, marking it with the laser. As she did, her mouth quirked in a near-smile. She had decided on the sinister (that is, left) tunnel. 'That's appropriate,' she thought.

Something white on the floor ahead caught her attention, and she approached cautiously. It was a skeleton of a near-but-not-quite human. The remains of rusted metal objects lay scattered by it, as well as scraps of cloth. 'Not much I can do for him...'

She moved past, and about a yard farther on heard a PHTT! and felt something pass through her hair near the back of her neck. Instinctively she ducked and rolled as dozens of needles flew above her. Then she was past the trap, as the noise quit.

Standing up cautiously she shone the light ahead. A couple of yards farther on was a pit. Looking down she saw sharpened stakes fixed to the floor. With the aid of her grappling gun she got over the pit. 'What's next, a rolling boulder?' she thought.

Another dozen yards and something grabbed her ankle and tripped her. A dark green vine had snaked out to wrap around her. Not giving it a chance to get a better hold, she severed it with the laser, and quickly ran on.

Her cheer skills served her well as she ducked, dodged, jumped, rolled, flipped, and ran to get away from more traps. Taking a breather, she thought 'Well, now I'm warmed up for tonight's practice.'

A sudden, very strange noise behind her caught her attention. turning the flashlight in that direction, she saw several flying creatures, sort of like birds, coming in her direction. When the light caught them, they got louder.

"Uh oh, looks like they want to invite me to lunch..." the redhead thought. She took off down the path, the creatures following. The path suddenly forked and she hesitated for a moment. One of them caught up and dived at her. She ducked and went into the closest tunnel. It ran out into a crudely widened area and branched into three paths.

"Oh, great!" she thought. Before she could decide, several of her antagonists made the decision for her. She headed down the right-hand opening and jogged down the path. It was rough, with loose stones underfoot, so she had to slow down to avoid a sprained ankle.

She suddenly realized they weren't trying to catch her, but herd her. The realization came too late as she passed through an opening and into a larger cave. A solid stone door crashed down almost on her heels, trapping her.

There was more light here, so she switched off the flashlight and looked around. All was quiet- for the moment. There were a number of large... nests... she guessed, all around her, with dark lumps inside.

Whatever they were, they were sleeping, and disturbing them would probably not be a good idea. The closed passage behind was not an option, but there had to be air coming in from somewhere...

Up there, in the middle of the room and some thirty feet up, was a jagged opening, and a little light was coming from it. As quietly as she could, she snuck out so she was directly below it. Pulling her grappling gun, she hesitated. Firing it would probably wake the nesting creatures, and there was no telling what was waiting above. But she had no choice. Being lunch was very low on her list of things to do while at Monster High.

The response to her firing the grappler was a series of startled squeaks and chirps, and a rustling in the nests. Bright, beady eyes were looking at her, and a different sort of chirp started. The giant birds were still nestlings, but they were nearly as tall as she. Their feathers were shades of brown and white.

A loud, steady chirp started from one nest, and was picked up by the others.

"That must be the call for dinner," she said, "But I'm afraid raw Kim is no longer on the menu." She hit the retract button, and the mechanism pulled her up just as the birds got to her position.

They squawked both plaintively and indignantly as their meal got away. None of them could fly yet, so all they could do was watch.

Getting her feet under her on the new level as her erstwhile dinner mates protested below, Kim looked around. There was light here, and she could see she was in a larger cave. A pond or lake filled half of it, and she could hear a waterfall on the far side. A natural stone bridge spanned the lake, leading to a tunnel. There was also a tunnel on this end.

She went to the bridge and examined it. There was a low curb on either side that had obviously been added. A sign of civilization that gave her hope. She went to the tunnel opening behind her, and discovered there was brickwork here too. Even better. On either side of the opening were sconces holding unlit torches, and Kim smiled. 'Looks like I'm on the right track now,' she thought.

Crossing the bridge she found the stonework was even better, and the torches showed signs of recent use. She hurried into the tunnel, hoping the ordeal would soon be over.

She passed through several small openings, each one reinforced with brickwork. She looked for anything that would indicate where she was, and finally found several signs made of ceramic molded into the wall. Each one had an arrow pointing in some direction, but the alphabet was totally unfamiliar. Just for later study she took a picture of it with the Kimmunciator and moved on.

About five minutes later she stopped walking. There were footsteps coming in her direction from ahead. She waited with the flashlight ready, and in a position to run if necessary.

A glow that grew brighter accompanied the footsteps, and finally a slim figure stepped into the tunnel, holding a torch aloft. She aimed the light right at whoever it was.

"Hey!" said a female voice, and a hand covered her face and eyes, "That's bright! Would y'all mind puttin' it down? Ah cain't see nuthin'."

Kim took a quick look at the woman, and lowered the light. The other approached. "Hey thar, would y'all happen t' be thet Kim Possible girl that disappeared?"

"That's me!" Kim replied, holding out her hand.

"Waall, ah'm Operetta, nice ta meetcha!" was the reply, the other girl taking it briefly. She had red hair and a half-mask over the left side of her face. Her skin was gray, and she had some music-themed tattoos. She was wearing jeans and a white blouse. "Come on, we need to go. It's gettin' late in the day, and we have a ways to walk."

Kim fell in beside the girl, who headed back the way she came, torch held high.

"How did you find me?" asked Kim.

"Honey, ain't nobody knows thar way around the catacombs laik ah do," said Operetta. "Frankie, Cleo, and her friends came ta see me and asked me ta help look fer ya."

"Catacombs? Where am I, anyway? I couldn't contact Wade, and the GPS system couldn't get through," said Kim.

"These here are th' catacombs under Monster High," said the other, "They figgered y'all was about two hundred feet down. How'd y'all get down here, anyway?"

Kim told Operetta of the statue and her adventures in the catacombs, and she was duly impressed. "Ah'm surprised a normie could last as long as y'all did down here. It's tough even fer monsters."

Before Kim could reply, they came to a stone stair going up, the far end lost in the gloom.

"Here we are," said the other redhead, "Git ourselves up yonder, and we'll be back on the first level."

"Great!" said Kim, "Let's go!"

"Y'all be careful, now, hear? These steps can be kinda ornery if'n ya don't watch out," warned Operetta.

They were about halfway up when an eerie sound started behind and in front of them. Operetta stopped. "Waal, it was nice meetin' ya, anyway."

"What do you mean?" asked Kim, "What's that noise?"

"Them's scargoyles a-comin', and we ain't got nowhere ta run."


	7. Catacombs and Werecats

Chapter Seven Catacombs and Werecats

The greenish winged creatures came out of the dark from above and below. Kim and Operetta ducked, and the first wave missed them by inches.

"Cover yoah eahs!" said Operetta, standing up.

Kim did so, and the Tennessee monster started singing. "You ain't nothin' but a hound dawg, just a-rockin' all the time!"

The force of her voice slammed into their attackers and disrupted the flight patterns. Many fell to the steps, senseless. The remainder flew off to regroup.

"Whoa!" said Kim.

"Yeah, it ain't safe ta hear me sing in person," said Operetta, "That'll hold 'em fer a bit, but what are we gonna do?"

Kim reached into her utility belt and pulled out a lip gloss container. "This will have to do."

The scargoyles had regained their courage, and flew toward them again.

"Lip gloss? Ya gonna dazzle 'em with your moist, shiny lips?" the monster asked, skeptically.

"Not exactly," said Kim grabbing the top, "Hold your breath."

She pulled the top off, and a noxious green vapor flowed out of the small canister. The scargoyles flew through it, but it didn't affect them! In fact, they made an effort to get a better whiff!

"Uh, sweet pea, they seem ta like it!"

"Yeah... I've seen it take out a dozen henchmen at one time, why isn't it working now?" said Kim, closing the top.

Operetta sniffed. "Hey, that ain't so bad! Got a perfume that's pretty close to it."

Kim stared at her for a moment, then realization hit; "Oh, right. Monsters." she thought. She considered the flock of creatures around them. "Maybe we can sneak past while they're distracted."

"Ah got nothin' better ta suggest... let's try." was the answer.

Kim tossed the open knockout gas tin down the steps, and while the scargoyles went for it, the girls ran on up the stairs.

"Won't be long now," Operetta offered as they climbed as quickly as they could.

Just then, the sound of the scargoyles, which had grown fainter behind them, got louder.

"Uh oh," said Kim.

"Darn! Ah was hopin' it would take 'em a bit longer," said the other redhead, glancing behind her, "We'd better move." She took a step, but slipped and with a cry fell hard to the stone steps.

Kim knelt beside her. "You okay?" She got the girl to roll onto her side.

"Naw, -gasp- mah ankle's hurtin' sumpthin' awful, and -gasp- ah got th' wind knocked out of me." she glanced down the stairs then at Kim. "Y'all'd better go on."

"Not a chance," replied the heroine, pulling out the lipstick laser again. She squatted beside the other girl, laser at the ready. She put a hand on Operetta's shoulder and watched for the scargoyle's appearance.

"Thet bitty thing ain't gonna do much to 'em," commented the monster.

"You might be surprised," answered Kim, "Here they come. Lay down as flat as you can, maybe they won't notice you."

Operetta complied, and Kim got ready to unleash coherent red death on the creatures approaching. She hadn't bothered to mention the charge was almost gone after using it to mark her way. She had three or four shots left, at best.

Just as they got within five feet of the pair, a bright bolt of electricity flashed overhead, knocking several out of the air, stunned. Ice followed, freezing most of the remainder, and forming a solid wall between them and the scargoyles.

"Whoa!" said Kim, ducking. She looked behind them, where the bolts had come from, and as her sight cleared saw Frankie, with Abbey beside her. Frankie was touching one of her neck bolts and pointing with the other hand. Abbey was shooting a bit more ice, just to 'seal the deal'.

"Way to go, both of you!" said Clawdeen from behind them.

"Is good to see you again," said Abbey.

"Are you two all right?" asked Frankie.

"Her ankle's hurt, but I'm okay," said Kim.

"That is problem," said Abbey, "Ice will not hold them for long. Know from experience."

Indeed, the noise from the creatures was increasingly frantic, and they were slamming their bodies against the ice, which was beginning to crack.

"What are we going to do?" I hate scargoyles!" said Draculaura, gray eyes wide as the cracks in the ice grew bigger.

"Help me get her up," said Kim, taking one of Operetta's arms.

"That won't be necessary, if you still have my statue," said Cleo, coming down to them.

The normie girl slung off her backpack, quickly found and unwrapped the statue, and gave it to Cleo.

The ice was breaking up, large chunks falling off, and the noise from the creatures on the other side got much louder.

"Everybody hold on to each other, we're leaving," said the mummy-girl.

A moment's confusion, and everyone was touching. Frankie put her hand on Cleo's arm.

"Ready?" asked the elegant Egyptian princess. She touched the emerald, and they all vanished, leaving a flock of very confused scargoyles behind.

kp/mh kp/mh kp/mh

With an electrical sizzle, they all appeared together in the halls of Monster High, just outside the door to the school infirmary.

"Perfect!" said Cleo, with a smirk.

"Good thinking, Cleo! This will save some time!" said Frankie.

"Of course!" said the mummy-girl, preening.

"Is everyone here?" said Kim in a loud voice.

Abbey did a quick head count. "Yes, all are here. And are outside infirmary. I will get nurse." She opened the door and stepped inside.

"I gotta admit, you done good..." said Clawdeen, and Cleo's smile grew wider. "...For what little you actually did." It was her turn to smirk, and she stooped to help Operetta up, Draculaura on the other side.

"Ohhh..." Cleo fumed.

"Cleo..." said Kim, coming over to her.

"Oh, Kimberly, I'm sorry for what happened to you. I don't know who took the statue, or how it got into your locker," she said. She looked just a bit fearful, and ready to run if necessary.

"It's okay," said Kim, "I figured out you weren't responsible pretty quick. And for what it's worth, I'm grateful you were able to get us all out of there. Thank you. And thank all of you!"

"You're very welcome," was the answer.

They helped Operetta inside where it was discovered she had a strained Achilles tendon and some scrapes from falling on the stairs.

Headmistress Bloodgood came in, accompanied by Ghoulia, and both were very happy to see them all.

Wade picked up the signal from the Kimmunicator and called. Kim assured him she was fine. She'd just seen a lot more of Monster High than she'd planned to, or had known existed.

She stepped into the hall and headed toward her locker. "While I've got you, I want to investigate that cat litter. If sending me to the Catacombs is related, we'd better find the culprit pretty quick, before the evidence is gone."

"I'm coming with you," said Draculaura, suddenly by her side.

"Thanks," said Kim. They went to the place where Robecca said she had lost control of her skates.

The green sensor beam appeared and swept over the hall.

"I'm picking up a few parts per thousand of dust that matches the litter," said Wade, "Go to the left."

They followed the trail down another hall where it abruptly stopped.

"That's it, Kim, the trail ends here," said Wade.

"Okay, thanks, I'll check with you later," she replied, and signed off.

"D, do you notice or know anything about this place that might be relevant?" she asked the vampire.

"Mmm... not really... I know a few of the monsters who have these lockers, but I don't..." she said, looking around.

"Mmrroww... they found you?" said a strange voice behind them.

Standing there was the werecat trio.

"We haven't met," said Toralei, in her smoothest voice, "I'm Toralei, and this is Meowlody and Purrsephone."

"Hi, nice to meet you," said Kim, shaking their hands. That name rang a bell.

"I'm glad to see you're okay," said Toralei, "Everyone was soooo worried..."

"Thank you," nodded Kim.

"Why are you still here?" asked Draculaura, "The school emptied out an hour ago."

"To help out, of course," was the reply, "We can get into places most monsters can't."

"I appreciate the effort," said Kim.

"Of course," nodded Toralei. She and her friends moved past the normie and the vampire and went to their lockers, which were just five feet past where the trail ended.

"You wouldn't know anything about how spilled cat litter almost caused an accident, would you?" asked Kim.

"Cat litter? Why, no, we wouldn't," was the reply. Toralei shut her locker door and turned to the normie heroine.

"Why would you ask that? Just because we are werecats?" she looked at her buds, now at her elbows. "Isn't that racial profiling?"

"Maybe. But when you add the fact that the trail ends here, almost in front of your lockers, and you're known to pull mean pranks, it adds up," Draculaura contributed, glaring at them.

"All circumstantial evidence. And here we expended our energy in an effort to find you. Some gratitude. Come on, let's go before the normie accuses us of something else."

Draculaura and Kim watched the werecats as they stalked away in high dignity.

"I'm with you, Kim," said D, "I think they scattered the litter, and tried to get rid of you before you could investigate."

"Yeah... but there's no way of proving it, now," answered the redhead, "Let's get back to the infirmary and check on Operetta."

The vampire looked frustrated for a moment, then her face lit up. She looked at her normie friend. "You know, Kim, there IS something you can do, if you want to..."

The others were leaving as they got there. Operetta's ankle had been taped, and she was told to stay off of it as much as possible, but was okay otherwise.

"Since school's out, let's head for the gym and get practice in early," said Kim.

Cleo was surprised. "Are you sure you're up to it?"

The normie shrugged. "Sure. Not the first time I've gone to practice after a mission."

"Well, okay, then," said the fearleading captain.

"Uhhhh...?" questioned Ghoulia.

"She SAYS she's fine," answered Cleo, "So let's carry on like normal."

Operetta, leaning on her crutches, spoke up. "Ah reckon ah'm gonna head on home, then."

Kim came over to her. "Thank you so much for finding me!"

"Shucks, honey, 'twern't nothin'! Thank you fer savin' me! Iffen y'all ever need mah help, lemme know!" the other redhead turned and made a three-legged gait toward the Catacombs.

As they walked toward the gym, Kim told them of her theory that Toralei was responsible.

"That sounds like something she would do," said Clawdeen with a growl.

"Uhhh..." said Ghoulia. "She's been a troublemaker since she started here." came from the Kimmunicator.

"Too bad we can't prove she's behind it," said Draculaura.

Behind them, unnoticed, the werecat trio was sneaking along listening. When they heard that, they stopped and smiled.


	8. Taken Aback, To The Future

Chapter Eight Taken Aback, To The Future

Thursday and Friday went much smoother for Kim. There were no more incidents except the expected ones. Kim was actually able to ignore the short blue guy being grabbed by the tentacle from his locker. Ghoulia was right- he should have learned by now. Fearleading practice was generally good, though Cleo and Clawdeen would occasionally get into a fight about something.

During the day Kim would occasionally notice Toralei smirking at her, which only cemented her suspicions. So Thursday afternoon she went to the werecat's locker, and searched around with the Kimmunicator's sensor. She found nothing.

"What are you doing around my locker?" asked Toralei in a low growl. Kim looked up, and found her stretched across the top of three lockers. She had an angry expression and arms crossed.

"Oh, just checking a few things," answered Kim, "I still think you put that statue in my locker, to cover up laying that litter trap out for Robecca."

Toralei narrowed her slitted green eyes. "Well, unless you have some evidence, you'd better keep your suspicions to yourself. Now go away." She jumped down, landing silently.

Kim shook her head. "Fine. But one day, you'll slip up and pay for it." She moved past the other girl.

Toralei just gave her a smile and stood there.

As Kim moved off, Meowlody and Purrsephone came up to Toralei.

"Can you beLIEVE what that normie girl said to me!" Kim heard her say.

kp/mh kp/mh kp/mh

Ms. Bloodgood announced that, in honor of the successful visit from Kim, an assembly in the Vamphitheater would be held on Friday as a last chance to meet her.

At the assembly, Kim stood beside Ms. Bloodgood on the stage.

"Students, despite the... incidents both here and at Kim's school, the exchange program has been deemed a success. There will be more exchanges taking place later this year," she said.

That announcement had a mixed response.

"So, as she'll be going home this weekend, I want to take this opportunity to thank Kim Possible for coming to Monster High."

There was some applause, most of it from Draculaura and her friends.

Ms. Bloodgood stepped aside so Kim could speak.

"It has been, to say the least, an interesting week," said Kim with a smile, and everyone laughed. "Despite my travels around the world, and all the people I have met, this has been my first encounter with monsters. And I have to say, I've liked it.

Coming here has been a learning experience that I wouldn't have missed for anything. Finding out that werewolves, ghosts, vampires, zombies, minotaurs, sea monsters, and many more actually exist has expanded my world."

Cleo looked annoyed, and leaned over to Deuce. "Why didn't she mention me?" she whispered.

Behind his sunglasses, the gorgon rolled his eyes. As much as he loved Cleo, her ego could get on his nerves quickly.

Kim continued. "This ch- fearleader exchange program is only the start. I think everyone, monsters and normies, could benefit from greater contact. It won't be easy for either side, I know. But it will be worth the effort.

I hope that someday I'll be able to visit this great school again, and be with you all once more. Thank you!"

There were cheers for the normie heroine, and Spectra was taking pictures.

Kim started to move away from the podium, then stopped and went back to the mic.

"Oh, I almost forgot... Toralei, your normie cousin Tara wanted me to be sure I said 'hi' to you for her." Kim gave a slow, rather nasty smile, and sauntered away from the stage.

There was dead silence, as everyone stared at the werecat. That included Meowlody and Purrsephone.

For her part, Toralei wanted to claw a hole open in the floor, jump in, and pull it in after her.

"Thank you, Kim Possible, you give an old teacher hope for the future. Classes are dismissed. Have a good weekend!" said the Headless Headmistress. "And don't forget to do your homework!"

The Vampitheater emptied out quickly, with everyone avoiding Toralei. She was glaring daggers at Kim. Then turned and left, body posture radiating anger.

Kim went over to where Draculaura and the others were waiting for her.

"Toralei has a normie cousin? Seriously?" asked Spectra.

"She sure does!" said Draculaura, "I've met her. She's on Kim's fearleading squad."

"I can't wait to get this blogged!" crowed Spectra, "It's big news!" she flew through a nearby wall.

"You got her good, Kim," said Deuce.

"Actually it was D's idea." Kim sighed. "I'm not big on revenge, but I couldn't let her get away with what she did completely."

"Never mind her, let's go to the Maul and celebrate!" said Frankie, and everyone agreed with that.

kp/mh kp/mh kp/mh

The next afternoon, Draculaura held a going-away party for Kim. This time, more monsters showed up.

"Is normie girl going home tomorrow?" asked Abbey.

"Yes, I am," Kim replied, "Probably pretty early, so I can get some rest before school Monday."

"Probably wise of you," said the Yeti, "Was nice meeting you."

"You too, Abbey. Maybe I'll visit your home mountain sometime."

"You would be welcome." The fur-wrapped girl suddenly notice Kim's drink was out of ice. "Let me fix that for you." She touched the glass with a finger, and the soft drink froze.

Kim quickly put it down. "Wow, that's cold!" she shook her hand, hoping not to get frostbite.

"Whoops. Am sorry. Did not mean to ruin it."

"I'll take care of it for you," said Heath, coming up behind Abbey. He shot a line of fire at the glass, and after about ten seconds the ice melted, followed by the drink boiling and the glass melting, making a mess. "Whoops. My bad."

"Yeah," agreed Kim, "That took care of it!"

At one point, Kim introduced Wade to Ghoulia, telling him she was pretty smart too. They seemed to hit it off quickly,  
especially after Wade installed her Zombie/English translation software and they were able to talk.

"So, Kim, what was this I heard about someone you know being a fashion designer?" asked Cleo.

"Oh, Monique is going into that field after graduation. She and Lala talked about monster fashion, and how it differs from normie fashion," answered Kim. "She wants to do some research on it."

"I plan on inviting her here for a weekend soon, and I was hoping we could get together and show her what we like," said the petite vampire.

"That sounds great!" put in Clawdeen.

"I'd like to meet her," said Frankie, "Especially if she's a friend of Kim's."

"Yes, I could go for that," said Cleo. "Is she any good?"

"Yes, Cleo, she's very good," said Draculaura, "She works for a high-end fashion retail store called Club Banana."

"Mmmm... never heard of it," said the imperial mummy. "I guess we'll see."

Late in the afternoon, the Kimmunicator beeped.

"What's the sitch, Wade?" asked Kim. The room grew quiet.

"Kim, looks like Professor Dementor is on the move. He's attacking a company in Silicon Valley. Probably after that new type of computer chip," said the tech guru.

"All right. Tell Ron I'll pick him up in about an hour," she answered, and signed off.

"Do you really have to go?" asked Draculaura, sadly.

"I'm afraid so. It would probably be best if I went back home after the mission, since it's late," said Kim.

The vampire gave the normie a hug. "I will miss you, Kim."

"And I'll miss you too, D. But don't worry. We'll get together sometime soon," was the reply.

"I think we're all gonna miss you, ghoulfriend," said Clawdeen, also giving Kim a hug.

That sentiment was echoed by the other monsters in the room.

A short time later, Kim was in her mission clothes, and the Sloth was waiting, her suitcases in the back seat.

Goodbyes were said, and Kim started to get inside when she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Kim, just remember," said Cleo, "Like we said when you got here; we're monsters. We have powers you normies don't have. If you need our help, let us know. We'll be glad to give you a hand."

"Uhhhh..." said Ghoulia, which translated to "I told Wade to call me if you need our help."

"Thank you, everybody, I'll keep it in mind!" said Kim.

Everyone stood by as she cranked up the purple car, and with a wave drove out the gate. Suddenly there was a rising whine that burst into a roar, and the Sloth suddenly appeared over the trees, powered by the rocket engines. It gained some altitude, then turned southeast in the reddening sky, disappearing in the distance.

The students of Monster High watched until the Sloth was out of sight, then went back inside to continue the party. No sense in wasting it, after all, even if the guest of honor had left.

Things were back to normal. At least, as normal as they get for Monster High.

The End

Author's Note:

You might have noticed I made references to my two earlier MH stories; _Setting the Record Straight_, and_ Fast Times at Monster High_. I hadn't actually planned on doing that, but when the flow of the story made it possible, I took it.  
So it looks like I've got a series going. I'm not planning on writing any more KP/MH crossovers, but if my muse brings one to my attention, I'll certainly have a look.

I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it.

Robert Teague, Nov 2012


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